U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi has appointed a Warren native as the U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Ohio in Cleveland.
David M. Toepfer, a career prosecutor, was sworn in by Chief U.S. District Judge Sara Lioi at the U.S. Courthouse in Akron following the July 23 appointment.
He is now the top-ranking federal law enforcement official for the district representing the United States in all federal and civil litigation.
President Donald J. Trump nominated Toepfer to the position In July. His nomination is pending in the U.S. Senate.
“It is the honor of a lifetime to serve the people of Northern Ohio in this role," Toepfer said in a press release.
"Our office will continue working with our federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies to protect the public by aggressively enforcing the laws of the United States. I am thankful for the trust President Trump and Attorney General Bondi have placed in me, and for the support of Senators (Bernie) Moreno and (Jon) Husted as the confirmation process proceeds through the Senate.”
Toepfer is responsible for a district covering the 40 northernmost counties in Ohio, an area that is home to nearly 6 million. The U.S. Attorney’s Office is headquartered in Cleveland, with branches in Akron, Toledo and Youngstown. It has a staff of nearly 200 attorneys and support personnel.
A career prosecutor of nearly three decades, Toepfer joined the Northern District of Ohio in 2008 as an assistant U.S. attorney based in the Youngstown office. He most recently served as branch chief for the Youngstown and Akron offices, supervising attorneys and serving as a liaison between federal and local law enforcement agencies to review and prepare cases for federal prosecution.
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In his 17 years with the office, he has prosecuted federal criminal cases such as bank robbery, gun offenses, fraud, narcotics and export-controlled technology.
Before joining the U.S. Attorney’s Office, served as an assistant county prosecutor in Trumbull and Portage counties.
A press release from the Department of Justice said Toepfer has focused on the prosecution of the most violent offenders, dismantling interstate drug trafficking organizations and enforcing federal immigration laws.
In 2010, he was nationally recognized with the Director’s Award from the Department of Justice for leading the Violence and Gun Reduction Interdiction Program in Youngstown and Warren. The program was a federal, state and local initiative that successfully targeted violent offenders who illegally used and possessed firearms.
Toepfer holds a bachelor's degree in business administration from Youngstown State University and a law degree from the University of Akron School of Law.
His appointment marks the first time in more than 117 years that a Youngstown-area lawyer will serve in this federal role.
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Reach Nancy at 330-580-8382 or [email protected].
This article originally appeared on The Repository: David Toepfer named new U.S. attorney for Northern District of Ohio
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